Katja and Sapphire on the Polar Express
by Sapphire Jacqueline Stone
Summary: Not your ordinary Polar Express story, I can tell you. Anyway, two good friends, Kat and Sapphire, are reunited just before the NZ Christmas holidays. On Christmas Eve, they go to bed, not expecting to have noticed much until the next day. However, they both receive genuine tickets to ride on the Polar Express. Reason as to why I'm putting this up now is found in the story.
1. Chapter 1

An Odd Poem  
A.N. Hi there, and welcome to the first chapter of my 58th story. My good friend Kat, from Greece, is currently in the process of writing an awesome story called "Right In The Hunt." Basically, the story's main characters are me and her. As it is nearly Christmas, and I should like to finish this story before my family comes, I am doing one as well. For the first few chapters, it is just the two of us looking forward to Christmas, but then we will eventually find ourselves in the world of the Polar Express.  
I do hope you enjoy it.

For the first time in a long time, snow was blanketing the city of Athens as the Greeks got ready for the Christmas season. One particular person, a fifteen year old girl by the name of Katja was in the process of sending a private message to a friend, all the while wondering when Greece was last covered in so much snow. The flakes of white gently floating down from the heavens made her smile. Christmas, with all its snow, was truly spectacular, and the lights and decorations of the city made everything look magical.

Katja just smiled, and moving away from her laptop, she approached the eastern window, and just relished in all the beauty of Christmas that Athens was showing. It really does look magical, she thought to herself, and wondered what her parents had planned for Christmas Day. Usually, she was allowed to open a present on Christmas Eve, then open her stocking when she first woke up on Christmas Day.  
Then, after breakfast, she opened the rest of her presents, went to church and sang Carols, then had a huge Christmas Dinner with her parents, her cousins and their parents, and even on occasion, her uncle Fredrick, who lived in Wellington.

As she turned away from her window, a picture on her chest of drawers made her smile. It was a picture of two girls sitting together in a beautiful park, one arm wrapped around each other, the other making a peace sign. One of the girls was Katja herself, wearing a dark green t-shirt saying "I love NZ," and a pair of black three-quarter pants. The other girl was a good friend of hers, Sapphire Stone, and Katja couldn't work out why the girl liked wearing dresses and skirts.

In the photo, Sapphire was wearing a red dress that went to her knees, black footless tights, and long black boots. _I miss you, Sapphy,_ the girl thought to herself, just as her mother called her from downstairs.

When she arrived, Katja saw that her mother and father were looking perplexed about something.

"What's up?" She asked, and her mother said, "We're having trouble reading this poem."

Kat rolled her eyes, and held her hand out for the poem. "Can't be that hard to read, surely." She said, and began to read the poem.

"Merry Christmas, darling daughter  
Can you bring us a glass of wwater?  
The Christmas treee stands tall and bright  
What a wonder, whaat a sight.  
Golden baubles, brranches green  
Make this room a magic dreeam.  
Presents ggalore, and Santa Claus too  
Will bring a smile to the face of yoou.  
French Vaniilla icecream, and lovely Christmas pie  
Are what await you, inn your destination-bye.  
Ggreece is always lovely, att this time oof year  
Spellinng mistakes are never nice to see or hear.  
Zzero fun you will not have on our holiday  
Ffor Christmas will be cool foor you, everry single day.  
Ccaius was a mean guy, in thhe Twilight Saga  
On holiday at some point, yourr father wiill want ssome lagar.  
Ttoday it's cold, tommorrow not so  
Aand where we are going, there shall be no ssnow.  
Add the mistakes together, work out all the clues  
And you shall see a sentence that will delight you.  
You will jump for joy, you shall cry "Hooray!"  
When you discover where we are going on our holiday."

Katja stared blankly at the poem, wondering what on earth Caius from Twilight had anything to do with Christmas. Then she had another read of the poem, now more aware of all the spelling mistakes, and picked up the green pen that was lying somewhat abandoned on the table. She began circling the mistakes and writing them down. When she had finished, she looked more baffled than ever, for she had written: wearegoingtonzforchristmas.  
"Is that even a real word?" She asked, pointing at it, amidst the laughter of her parents.  
"No, it's a sentence," her father said, chuckling, as his daughter's brow furrowed for a moment, before she suddenly let out a shriek of joy, and re-wrote the sentence as it should have been: We are going to NZ for Christmas.  
"You guys are awesome!" She squealed delightedly, as she wrapped her arms around her mother and father.  
"We sure are, and you can spend some time with your friend, if you want to. I suggest you go and pack, 'cause we leave this evening."  
Katja, knowing to pack summer clothes, raced away, a huge grin on her face.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Sapphire Stone sent her friend a private message, asking her what she was doing for Christmas , all the while humming Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" to herself. Glancing at the time on her laptop screen, she saw that it read twenty-five to ten, so she used that time to have a nice cold shower and read before she fell asleep at ten.  
Just before she did so, she decided to check her FanFiction inbox, and saw that there were no new messages. This didn't worry her though, so she wrote "Goodnight, Kat." Before turning off her laptop, and fell asleep, dreaming of the coming Christmas Production, in which she had a fair-sized part.

 **A.N. And that's a wrap. Hope you enjoyed it :) Kat's uncle Fredrick is named after my uncle, who passed away in 2008.**


	2. Chapter 2

A Lovely Surprise  
 **A.N. Yeah, another chapter :) Well, I don't own much of the story, apart from my own ideas. Anyway, enough babbling. Let's get on with the show :)**

 _Previously:_  
 _This didn't worry her though, so she wrote "Goodnight, Kat." Before turning off her laptop, and fell asleep, dreaming of the coming Christmas Production, in which she had a fair-sized part._

She was to be playing the role of a ghost in Charles' Dickens "A Christmas Carol," but not one of the three ghosts that Scrooge was familiar with. She was playing the Ghost of Understanding Christmas, a character that had been brought to life when she had suggested an idea for the production.

However, wanting it to be a huge surprise for her family, she had said nothing about the play, and only practiced her lines when they weren't home. Speaking of her family, whenever she mentioned "FanFiction" or her friend Kat, from Greece, her parents would smile at each other in a secretive way, as if they knew something about her friend that she didn't. Whenever they did this, Sapphire would simply shake her head in some annoyance, and gaze at the beautiful Christmas Tree with it's very unique decorations.

Most of them, if not all of them, came from Budapest in Hungary, where her grandparents used to live, although when she was younger, Sapphire felt quite certain that they lived at the airport, because that was where she generally saw them.

She also had a golden Eiffle Tower, which her grandmother had given her as her annual Christmas decoration. She generally placed it just below the Christmas Star, because even Paris is lower than Heaven. She now smiled at it, as she ate waffles, checking her phone for messages. There was still nothing from Kat, so the girl assumed that her friend was busy, and right now, she'd be asleep.

Her mum happened to pass by at that moment, carrying dark blue bedsheets, and asked, "Have you made any plans for this evening?"  
Sapphire thought for a moment and shook her head. "No, why?"  
Her mother just said "Well, we are picking someone up from the airport tonight, who is going to want to spend a lot of time with you these holidays. I think," she added, looking at the clock, "you should be heading to school."  
Sapphire just smiled, hugged her mother goodbye, and headed off to school. As it was the second-to-last day of the year, there was a fair bit of leniency given to the students. No wearing uniform, and they were allowed to bring sweets to school, as long as they didn't go hyper.

PAGE BREAK  
Sapphire had had a fantastic day, what with the dress rehearsal going so smoothy, and the backstage crew helping her in her harness at the right time. It was going to be like a real production, where the characters flew with the aid of wires and harnesses.

However, it was now ten past seven in the evening, and she was very bored. She and her parents were waiting for a certain flight to land, and she had been told to not bring anything with her. "Your patience will be well rewarded, Sapphire." They had told her with a grin, and had left their daughter to wonder who they were waiting for.

It hadn't escaped her notice that they had taken the bigger car, with three rows of seats. As she carried on wondering, her mum suddenly glanced over her shoulder and spotted Sapphire's friend Katja standing right behind her, grinning and laden with suitcases.  
Sapphire had not noticed this, still wondering about the guest who was going to be spending a bit of time with her. Her mum, deciding on how best to brake the news, said conversationally, "I'm really looking to your production tomorrow night."

Sapphire smiled, just as a familiar voice pipped up, saying, "Can I come too?" The smile vanished from the girl's face, replaced by a huge grin as she turned around, seeing her best friend Katja behind her.

"SURPRISE!" Her parents and guests shouted jovially, and Sapphire happily hugged her friend, saying, "So, that's why you couldn't respond to my message. You were on a plane."

"That's right, my friend." Kat said, as Sapphire introduced herself to her friend's parents, before they all left, heading out of the airport and towards home.


	3. Chapter 3

Do They Know It's Christmas?

 **A.N. Well, I'm not going to write about Sapphire and Katja going to bed, as I'm sure you can imagine. So, the next day, whilst Kat was sleeping off a large amount of jet lag, Sapphire and all of her schoolmates were getting ready for their slightly different version of Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol." I shall skip the dress rehearsal, and move on to the part just before Sapphire's character appears. Enjoy :)**  
 **The part in italics is straight from the book "A Christmas Carol," which I don't own in anyway.**

 _Yes! and the bedpost was his own. The bed was his own, the room was his own. Best and happiest of all, the Time before him was his own, to make amends in!_

 _`I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future.' Scrooge repeated, as he scrambled out of bed. `The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. Oh Jacob Marley. Heaven, and the Christmas Time be praised for this. I say it on my knees, old Jacob, on my knees.'_

 _He was so fluttered and so glowing with his good intentions, that his broken voice would scarcely answer to his call. He had been sobbing violently in his conflict with the Spirit, and his face was wet with tears._

 _`They are not torn down.' cried Scrooge, folding one of his bed-curtains in his arms,' they are not torn down, rings and all. They are here - I am here - the shadows of the things that would have been, may be dispelled. They will be. I know they will.'_

As he said this, his ears happened to pick the sound of a female singing "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" in a pretty, light tone. At first, Scrooge thought that one of his neighbors had broken in, but as he moved towards his curtains, behind of which the singing was coming from, he realized that he did not recognize the voice.

Pulling the curtains aside, he was amazed to see a _fourth_ ghost, smiling at the lightning sky that signaled yet another day, and currently singing "The First Noel."

'I say, hello dear ghost.' He said in a rather cheerful tone.

The ghost turned from the window, her smile still fixed on her ruby red lips. 'Hello, Mr Scrooge."  
'Mr Scrooge' smiled, before giving her a confused look, and asked, "May I inquire as to what you are doing here? You see, Jacob Marley informed me of only three ghosts, not four."  
"It was my idea, and I knew I needed to come. You see, I am The Ghost Of Understanding Christmas. If you knew, or remembered the true meaning of Christmas, and why we celebrate it, you probably wouldn't be a despicable person to work with." She said, her blue eyes narrowing, and a scowl on her face.  
Scrooge didn't know what to think, so he asked, "Where are we going?"  
The ghost didn't reply, but grabbed hold of Scrooge's arm, and pulled him out the window. She had sort of taken him to the past and present at the same time. In fact, she had taken him back to the week before, when one of his many employees, rich enough to send her only son, Nicholas, to school, had gone to her son's Christmas Pageant.  
'Why are we here?" Scrooge inquired, watching as adults filled into the hall, all sitting cross-legged on the floor.  
"You shall see, Mr. Scrooge." She assured him, as one by one, children rose to sing Christmas songs. At long last, Nicholas and his classmates rose to sing a song called "Christmas Love," the title seeming rather bold to Scrooge and a few others. He then noticed that thirteen children had pieces of paper, each with a letter, that would not doubt spell the name of the song.  
All was going well until a little girl called Mary, who had the "M," unknowingly turned it over, so that it formed a "W" instead. Several students struggled to control their mirth, but Mary wasn't bothered in the slightest. Then, as the "E" was raised, a sudden hush fell over the crowd, and a few people gasped.  
For when they all read what was written, everyone, including Scrooge, knew why it was that they celebrated the holidays in the first place.  
It read: CHRIST WAS LOVE. This caused the narrator to say proudly, "I believe He still is." This statement, in it's own turn, caused people in the audience to clap and cheer.  
Ten minutes later, they clapped and cheered again, as the entire cast came out for one last, final bow.  
PAGE BREAK

"You were amazing, Sapphire." Katja said brightly, as her friend joined her, needing to change out of her costume, which consisted of a wavy auburn wig, a cream-coloured dress and white heels. Katja knew that if she were forced to wear such an outfit, she'd probably throw a fit.  
But her friend looked rather pretty, and she told her so, just as another girl joined them, a nasty sneer on her face. She nodded to Kat with a smile, but her face contorted back into a sneer as she glanced at Sapphire.  
Sapphire looked up, and raised an eyebrow, before muttering "You'd better not cause trouble, Chantelle." Then she smiled, and introduced her friend to her enemy, in an effort to be polite.  
"Katja, this is Chantelle Houghton. Chantelle, this is my friend, Katja Kyparissia, from Greece." She said politely, before realising that she should change out of her costume, and into a special dress.  
Katja waved, and decided to chat to her mother, who had just come over to her.  
PAGE BREAK

After the prizes and awards were given out, the headmistress walked onto the stage, and smiled at everyone.  
"Well, what a year it has been. As most of you already know, at the start of the year, we decided to send some of our students away on holiday towards the end of the year. Well, we managed to make a substantial profit of $36,000."  
There was a lot of clapping at this, but this soon turned into cheering when the Headmistress explained that the money was really going to help the Ebola affected countries in Africa. The clapping went on for a solid three minutes, and the Headmistress added, "So, this evening we have something very special, as some of our girls are going to sing Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" which is a song that changed the world."  
A group of around fifteen girls, Sapphire included, made their way onto the stage, all wearing dresses resembling Africa, and smiling as the music began to play.  
As they neared the big finale, all fifteen of them jumped up and down, quite throwing themselves into what they were doing.  
When they'd finished, they received a standing ovation, before they joined the rest of the school in singing "We Wish You A Merry Christmas." When they'd finished that, too, there was the sound of a ringing bell.  
Everyone looked excited, and turned their attention to the back of the hall, where a man dressed as Santa Claus, came in with a grin on his face, a sack in his hand, and calling out, "Merry Christmas!"  
PAGE BREAK

For some unknown reason, the Headmistress wanted Sapphire to stand at the very back of the line. Confused, Sapphire obeyed, and Katja, standing in front of her, pulled her into a conversation.  
"Hmm, I think Santa's Irish," Sapphire mused with a smile; for she was rather fond of the Irish and Scottish accents.  
"Really?" Katja asked, noticing that she was behind Chantelle, to whom Santa was giving a paper bag of lollies.  
"Yeah," Sapphire said, as her friend stood aside, to let Santa hand her... a beautifully wrapped Christmas present?  
"Merry Christmas, young lady." Santa said, confusing her greatly. "Is this really for me?" She asked.  
Santa nodded, and handed her a card. "You should leave the gift 'till Christmas Day, but I think the card should suffice 'till then."  
Sapphire opened the card, and gasped. There were autographs from several musical pop stars, including those of the boys from 1D, and... "Sir Bob Geldof?"  
"Yes?" Santa said, smiling at her. Sapphire looked at him puzzled for a moment, before her eyes widened in amazement.  
"You're Sir Bob Geldof?" She breathed, hardly daring to believe it.  
He nodded with a smile, and said, "Indeed. Thank you for donating $36,000 to Ebola affected Africa."

Both girls stared at him in utter astonishment, and Sapphire asked, "How did you know about that?"

Sir Bob Geldof raised an eyebrow, and said in that fantastic accent of his, "The story is known worldwide. It's on Facebook and Twitter, and not to mention, it's been in _The Daily Telegraph, The Times,_ and all the newspapers in Ireland. Is there anything you want to ask me?"

"Yes, how did you gt to be Santa, and why isn't there a huge media fuss over this?" Sapphire asked, wondering why no one had gone over to bother them.

"I was asked to be Santa, and I agreed. Also, apart from a few people whom I trust, no one else knows that I'm here, with my girlfriend, for Christmas." He smiled, and said, "Thanks again."  
"You're welcome, and Merry Christmas." Sapphire said brightly, as he smiled and waved goodbye, before heading back to his hotel, whistling "Do They Know It's Christmas?" cheerfully to himself.

 **AN: Hope you enjoyed that :) Please review**


	4. Chapter 4

Christmas Eve

 **AN: Sorry it's taken me a while to get this chapter up. So, in part of this chapter there is the lyrics for the song "Fairytale of New York," originally sung by Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl.** ** _So the words written like this is the male part,_** _words written like this is the chorus, which they sing together,_ **and words written like this is the female part.** Hope you enjoy it. :)

The next few days after Sapphire's Christmas production were filled with a manner of all things Summer and Christmas. Sapphire and Katja spent every waking hour ahead of them singing Christmas songs, putting up the tent, swimming, Christmas shopping, and eating a lot of ice cream and foods that are native, (for want of a better word) to New Zealand.

"You're so lucky to have such amazing weather at Christmas time. All I ever get is a biting cold wind." Katja said in an envious tone one afternoon, as she and Sapphire lay outside in the sun, sunbathing and drinking L&P.

Sapphire smiled over at her, looking just as envious as she said, "Well, let's put your statement into account, shall we? You get to sunbathe on the 27th of July, whereas here, it's cold."

"That's your birthday, right?" Katja asked, taking a sip of L&P, before wondering why it was called that. "Why is this drink called L&P?"

"It's an abbreviation. The "L" stands for lemon, and the "P" stands for Paeroa, which is the name of a town here." She said, taking a sip of her own, before adding, "Yes, that is when my birthday is."

Katja's mum came out just then to join them, with a glass of gin and tonic in her hand. "Well, hello you two." She said smiling.

"Hi, mum." Kat said, before sitting up straight to examine her legs, which she attempting to tan. There was a fair brown colouring on them, making her smile as she reached for the sunblock.

Then she suddenly screamed loudly, causing both her mother and her friend to jump in alarm.

"What's the matter?" Sapphire asked, before yelling as well, as her Dad sprayed her with the garden hose. He chortled with derisive laughter, and his daughter eyed him angrily.

Then she noticed that her dad was standing right beside another hose. With a slight smile, she jumped up, turned it on, and aimed at her father, laughing herself.

He leapt backwards, and suddenly lost his footing as he plunged into the swimming pool, yelling out in shock as he did so.

Sapphire yelled out to him, asking him if he was alright. He came back to the surface, whilst appearing to gurgle in a most unpleasant way. It turned out that he was laughing and shook his head, in an effort to get the water out of his ears.

"Run Sapphire, before I pick you up and throw you into the swimming pool." He said, his light brown eyes alight with mischief. Sapphire paled, and wasted no time in running away, her guests cheering her on with laughter.

Her mum came out, wondering what on earth was going on. As she watched her husband and daughter running around, she smiled a fond smile, and cheered her husband on.

Sapphire ran past her, her dad close behind. He was laughing as he managed to grab Sapphire's t-shirt, and lifted her up.

"Oh shit!" She swore, knowing what would happen as she struggled to get out of her father's arms. His grip, however, was quite strong, and he threw her sideways into the pool, yelling, "Now we're even."  
Katja couldn't help the laughter that came bubbling out of her mouth, and was in a fit of hysterical laughter. Sapphire, swimming back up to the surface, laughed too, as Katja's father and uncle joined them for lunch.  
 **PAGE BREAK**

After six whole days of Summer fun, it was now the afternoon of Christmas Eve. Katja's mother and Sapphire's mother had gone to do a last bit of shopping, and Sapphire and Katja were playing hide and seek. Katja was the one who was hiding, and she was currently sitting on the window sill of her friend's bathroom. Her legs were tucked up under her, and the curtain concealed her.

Downstairs, she heard her friend yelling, "Ready or not, here I come."  
Katja chuckled to herself, wondering how long it would take Sapphire to find her. After about ten minutes, she heard her coming into the bathroom, and looked around, before her blue eyes spotted the semi-closed curtain.

"Found you!" She exclaimed triumphantly, as she heard her name being called by her mother.  
The two girls ran downstairs, and were instantly given a wrapped parcel. "You'll wear these tonight. Katja, I bought you a silver one, because I didn't think that you would like the others that I saw."  
Kat paled somewhat, and muttered, "Please tell me that you did not buy me a dress." She unwrapped the present, and looked at the silver dress in dismay. It was certainly nice enough, and Sapphire would have looked nice in it, but she had to wear it. Then she took a deep breath and smiled; it just wasn't worth it to be upset on Christmas Eve.

"Thank-you." She said, and hugged her mother. Sapphire did too, when she spotted that she had a gorgeous cream-colored dress.  
"It's beautiful, Mum." She said, as Kat's father announced that dinner was ready. It consisted of a huge barbecue, complete with salad and potatoes.  
"Don't eat all of the potatoes, and I'll fry them up to have with breakfast tomorrow." Sapphire's mum said, as the two friends sat together, eating succulent pieces of steak, juicy and covered in butter.  
After finished with eating, Katja forced a smile on her face as she picked up the silver dress that was hanging over a chair. "Well, it's not pink, at any rate." She said, as she and Sapphire hurried upstairs to change.  
"I'm sure your mother wouldn't be that cruel." Sapphire said with a smile, as she slipped the cream-colored dress on, along with the cute flats that her mother had found.

 **PAGE BREAK**  
Katja gasped as her brown eyes took in the magnificent decor of the church in which they were going to hear the Christmas Story and sing Christmas Carols. The entire room was covered in banners proclaiming different Christmas verses such as "Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." There was also a Christmas tree, which was covered in what she was sure to be edible candy canes.  
Despite the dress, Katja was having so much fun with singing and dancing, and she secretly enjoyed the swishing sound her dress made when she move from side to side in sync with her friend. At the end of the singing and the telling of the Christmas Story, they all sang "We Wish You A Merry Christmas," only she did it in Greek:  
"Sas efchómaste Kalá Christoúgenna  
Sas efchómaste Kalá Christoúgenna  
Sas efchómaste Kalá Christoúgenna  
Kai kali chronia."  
"Kalí eídisi férnoume  
Se sas kai tous syngeneís sas  
Sas efchómaste Kalá Christoúgenna  
Kai kali chronia."  
Sapphire smiled at her friend and felt a warm glow as she heard the familiar song in a foreign tongue.  
 **PAGE BREAK**

Sapphire smiled at her friend as they changed back into a t-shirt and shorts. "I loved your singing, Kat."  
Kat smiled too, and the two of them made their way downstairs, listening for some hours to Christmas songs, including "Do They Know It's Christmas?" "Deck the Halls," "We Wish You A Merry Christmas," "Snoopy's Christmas," and a number of other songs.  
At twenty past nine, Sapphire's mum said, "Ok, you two. You can both name a Christmas song to listen to, and then it's time for you two to go to bed."  
"I'd like to hear that one that's sung in that really strange language." Kat said, and then added, "I think it's in Swiss or German."  
"O Tannenbaum?" Her friend asked, and Kat nodded.

"Wouldn't you prefer to hear it in English?" Sapphire's dad asked, and she nodded again. After playing the Boney M version of the song, Sapphire said, "Well, dad. I think we should do our Christmas song."  
Her father raised an eyebrow, before smiling and saying, "Very well then."  
"You sing a Christmas song with your dad?" Kat asked, as her friend stood up with a grin. "We sure do, and we usually sing it together on the eighteenth." There was a sad look in her eyes as she muttered something that sounded like "Poor Kirsty," making Kat wonder who Kirsty was.  
The sounds of piano music reached her ears a moment later as her friend's dad started singing:  
 **"It was Christmas Eve, Babe**  
 **In the drunk tank**  
 **An old man said to me**  
 **"Won't see another one.**  
 **And then he sang a song**  
 **The rare old mountain dew**  
 **I turned my face away**  
 **And dreamed about you.**  
 **Got on the lucky one**  
 **Came in eighteen to one**  
 **I got a feeling**  
 **This year's for me and you**  
 **So Happy Christmas**  
 **I love you, Baby**  
 **I can see a better time**  
 **When all our dreams come true.**  
Kat smiled at the lyrics, thinking that they were rather sweet. She watched as her friend spun around, undoubtedly making herself dizzy.  
 _ **They've got cars big as bars**_  
 _ **They've got rivers of gold**_  
 _ **But the wind goes right through you**_  
 _ **It's no place for the old**_  
 _ **When you first took my hand**_  
 _ **On a cold Christmas Eve**_  
 _ **You promised me**_  
 _ **Broadway was waiting for me**_

 _ **You were handsome**_  
 **You were pretty**  
 **Queen of New York City**  
 _When the band finished playing_  
 _They howled out for more_  
 _Sinatra was swinging,_  
 _All the drunks they were singing_  
 _We kissed on a corner_  
 _Then danced through the night_

 _The boys of the NYPD choir_  
 _Were singing "Galway Bay"_  
 _And the bells were ringing out_  
 _For Christmas day_

Kat smiled warmly as she watched her friend being spun around by her dad, and felt that the song they were singing could become a favorite. However, when the two of them began insulting each other, she wasn't so sure.  
 **You're a bum**  
 **You're a punk**  
 _ **You're an old slut on junk**_  
 _ **Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed**_  
 **You scumbag, you maggot**  
 **You cheap lousy faggot**  
 **Happy Christmas your arse**  
 **I pray God it's our last**

 _The boys of the NYPD choir_  
 _Still singing "Galway Bay"_  
 _And the bells were ringing out_  
 _For Christmas day_  
Even though it was only a Christmas song, Kat was quite shocked by the names her friend was seemingly taunting her father with. She only hoped that the last verse wasn't as rude, and to her relief, it wasn't.  
 _ **I could have been someone**_  
 **Well so could anyone**  
 **You took my dreams from me**  
 **When I first found you**  
 _ **I kept them with me babe**_  
 _ **I put them with my own**_  
 _ **Can't make it all alone**_  
 _ **I've built my dreams around you**_

 _The boys of the NYPD choir_  
 _Still singing "Galway Bay"_  
 _And the bells are ringing out_  
 _For Christmas day_  
 **PAGE BREAK**  
When the song ended, Kat clapped and smiled, before wishing her parents a "Good night, and see you on Christmas Day." Then the two of them headed outside to the tent, and Kat asked, "So, who's Kirsty?"  
Sapphire smiled sadly and said, "She originally sang the female part of the song, and even did it live. Then she saved her son whilst on holiday in Mexico, who was in the path of a boat that shouldn't have been in the water, because that area was off limits to boats. Unfortunately, she was caught by the boat herself and was instantly killed."  
"Oh." Kat said sadly, as she ducked into the tent and her sleeping bag. "Good night, Sapphire." She said, as Sapphire did the same.  
"Good night, Kat. See you on Christmas Day."  
Almost two and a quarter hours had passed when both girls woke up, feeling extremely cold, as if it was winter instead of Summer.  
"What on earth?" Kat mumbled, her voice thick with sleep. Sapphire was rubbing her eyes and her arms in an effort to be warm.  
"I second that." Her friend muttered, and unzipped the tent. Instantly, her hand was covered in snow. "What on earth is going on? It's snowing outside, in the middle of Summer!"  
Then both girls heard the sound of a train, and looked at each other, bewildered. Crawling out of the tent, they watched in utter astonishment as an Express Train pulled up not far from where they were standing.  
However, that wasn't as astonishing as what they saw written on the train : _The Polar Express._

 **AN: And that's how we get into the world of The Polar Express. Will we get on board? Hope you like it.**


	5. Chapter 5

All Aboard!  
AN: Yay! My fifth chapter, and here's were we get into the swing of things! Enjoy!

Previously:  
Almost two and a quarter hours had passed when both girls woke up, feeling extremely cold, as if it was winter instead of Summer.  
"What on earth?" Kat mumbled, her voice thick with sleep. Sapphire was rubbing her eyes and her arms in an effort to be warm.  
"I second that." Her friend muttered, and unzipped the tent. Instantly, her hand was covered in snow. "What on earth is going on? It's snowing outside, in the middle of Summer!"  
Then both girls heard the sound of a train, and looked at each other, bewildered. Crawling out of the tent, they watched in utter astonishment as an Express Train pulled up not far from where they were standing.  
However, that wasn't as astonishing as what they saw written on the train : The Polar Express.

"WHAT!?" Kat yelled, her voice echoing somewhat. Sapphire glared angrily at her.  
"Shut up, Kat!" She hissed quietly. Kat looked at her friend in surprise, and asked, "Why?"  
"Because, it's five minutes to midnight, and most people, even children, are asleep by that time."  
"Don't worry about that. Are you two coming to the North Pole?"  
Both girls turned to see the conductor, same as ever, looking at them expectantly. After a moment, the two of them whooped for joy, and hopped onto the train.  
With a fond, but exasperated smile, the conductor waved his lantern out the window, signalling to the driver to carry on. Meanwhile, Kat and Sapphire had grabbed the front seat, and then glanced around. There was no one else on the train, and they sat back to enjoy their ride.  
PAGE BREAK  
Neither Katja nor Sapphire could understand how the train was able to get from New Zealand to Australia, and then to America. Was there a special train track that connected the three parts of the world together?  
Although Sapphire knew it was possible to catch a train from somewhere in Europe to somewhere in Asia, it was only because a few countries, mostly Russia, were in both parts of the world.  
All this thinking was giving her a slight headache, so she stopped thinking about it, and instead, she smiled as the other kids boardered the train.  
They let the Know-It-All-Boy, whose name was Luke, to sit with them, and against all odds, they got on rather well. Luke asked them questions about Greece and New Zealand, whereas they asked him questions about America.  
"Have either of you been to America?" He asked, and both of them shook their heads. "Not actually been there for a holiday, but I will one day." Sapphire said, smiling to herself, just as the conductor came around, asking for their tickets.  
"Tickets please," he called grandly, waving his ticket puncher around. Luke and Katja found their's relatively quickly, but Sapphire was at a loss as to where her's could be.  
She then glanced down in slight frustration, and was most astonished to find her ticket half concealed by her bum.  
With a laugh, she pulled out the golden ticket from it's strange hiding place, and handed it to the conductor, who had just finished punching Luke's.  
"Thank you, Mam." He said, and a shower of golden circles tumbled from the ticket as he punched it. When he handed back to her, she saw a "C" at one end, and an "E" at the other.  
"Look what the wise guy punched on mine," said Luke, sounding, if anything, annoyed. "L" and an "E." "What the heck is that supposed to mean?"  
Sapphire shrugged, and looked at her friend's ticket which read "BE."  
Then the train slowed down to pick up the last passenger; a sad, little lonely boy called Billy.  
 **AN: There you go, yet another chapter for you, Kat. Hope you enjoy it :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Billy  
 **AN: I shall do my absolute best to get this story finished by Wednesday next week. If not, it may not be finished until New Years. On that note, I shall stop writing this, and write the chapter.**

Sapphire shrugged, and looked at her friend's ticket which read "BE."  
Then the train slowed down to pick up the last passenger; a sad, little lonely boy called Billy.  
At that very moment, Sapphire tapped her friend's shoulder, muttering discretely, "We should go sit in the other carriage, whilst the train's stationary."  
Katja nodded, and the two of them just about bolted down the walkway of the train, to the carriage behind them. They had no sooner sat down, when the train began to pick up speed, and the little boy outside began to run.  
They heard "Hero Boy" calling to him to hurry, and about a minute or so later, both girls nearly fell to the ground as he applied the emergency brake. They looked up in time to see Billy jumping in to their carriage, after glancing into the adjacent one.  
Sapphire smiled warmly at him, and Katja did the same. Billy looked at them in dismay; he had been sure that there would be no one else in there to bully him, which he had had quite a bit of.  
With a sigh, he sat down, and muttered "Hello."  
"Hello, I'm Sapphire, and this is my friend Katja. What's your name?" She, of course, knew what his name was, but it would have looked strange if she had greeted him by name.  
"I'm Billy." He said quietly.  
"Nice to meet you, Billy." Kat said, and held out her hand to shake his. He looked at it as if she were offering a lollipop, which she would then snatch from him.  
Hesitantly, he offered her his hand, and shook it. "So, Billy, are you looking forward to Christmas tomorrow?" Sapphire asked, and in answer, Billy looked away, a sad, gloomy expression on his face as he shook his head.  
"Christmas never works out for me. I always lose family members, and I live with my oldest cousin, who keeps blaming me for the deaths of my family."  
Katja and Sapphire both looked aghast, and although they didn't have much experience in being blamed for the deaths of family members, even they knew it was horrible.  
"Maybe things will get better, Billy." Sapphire said, as the door opened to reveal the "Hero Girl" and the Conductor, with a mug of hot chocolate.  
"Oh, I wondered where you girls had got to," the Conductor said, and with a sudden snap of his fingers, two cups of hot chocolate appeared out of nowhere.  
As they sipped hot chocolate, and Billy's ticket was punched, Sapphire had no idea that her statement about things getting better for Billy would come true.  
 **AN: And that's a wrap for now. Enjoy :)**


	7. Chapter 7

F and Y?  
Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything.

 _Previously:_  
 _As they sipped hot chocolate, and Billy's ticket was punched, Sapphire had no idea that her statement about things getting better for Billy would come true._  
When The Conductor and the "Hero Girl" who had introduced herself as Sophie, left, the two girls eyed Billy's ticket curiously.  
"What does your ticket say?" Kat asked, showing him hers.  
""F" on one end, and a "Y" on the other end." He said, seemingly more cheerful, just as the door opened again, and the Conductor and Sophie came back in.  
The Conductor was leading a very worried Sophie by the shoulder, and Sapphire mouthed, "He's not going to throw you off the train," as they passed by.  
Sophie suddenly looked very relieved, and allowed herself a small smile as she was led out into the bitter, freezing cold.  
Sapphire smiled too, before pondering the "F" and "Y" on Billy's ticket. In the film, it had been different variations on the meaning of the word trust. She could only think of one word that could be on his ticket, and that word was family.

 **AN: The shortest chapter of any story. I will update it again very soon.**


	8. Chapter 8

The Hobo

 **AN: Yes, I am very well aware that Christmas is long over, but I thought I'd update it anyway. Enjoy, and you can think of the chapter being a belated Christmas present, or** **a very, very early one. :)**

 _Sapphire smiled too, before pondering the "F" and "Y" on Billy's ticket. In the film, it had been different variations on the meaning of the word trust. She could only think of one word that could be on his ticket, and that word was family._

"I wonder why it's going to say "Family,"" she mused quietly to herself as the "Hero Boy" came running in, breathless, and asked where Sophie was.

"We'll come with you," Sapphire said, and Kat also agreed, before they looked at Billy and asked him to come along as well. For the first time since he climbed into their compartment he smiled and shook his head.

"No, I'll be alright. But if I do get really lonely, I'll sit in the other compartment."

They smiled at him, before heading out into the freezing cold. After some awkward moments of climbing the ladder outside our compartment, the wind and snow in our faces, and the Hero Boy's attempt to hang on to Sophie's ticket, their eyes suddenly adjusted to a light from which they could either see the Hobo, or the conductor with Sophie.

"Hey!" The Hero Boy yelled, before yelling "Hey!" Again, followed by "I find your ticket. Wait!"

They hurried after them, losing them both in the flurry of snow. As their feet crunched over the snow, following the footprints, they noticed another light, and the two girls grinned, knowing that it would be the ghostly hobo.

He was muttering "Good King Wenceslas," as they drew level with him, but stopped in order to say "Is there something I can do for you three?"

Hesitantly, the boy said, "I'm looking for a girl," which caused the hobo to laugh. "Well, there's two right beside ya," he said, causing them to laugh, and Sapphire chuckled, "Not like that."

By way of explanation, the boy said, "I have her ticket," which caused the hobo to take an interest.

"Well, would ya look at that? What is this?" Sapphire was about to answer, when he said, "This is an official, authentic, genuine ticket to ride. I'd put that in a safe place, young man."

As he was about to put it in his pocket, the hobo said something about keeping his valuables in his shoes, not that he any need for a ticket. Katja and Sapphire looked at each knowingly: of course he didn't.

Being a ghost, he was, of course, able to ride the train any time he wanted to, before he then said, "I own this train, you know. It's like I'm it's king. In fact, I'm the king of the NORTH POLE!" His last two words sort of echoed around, causing Sapphire to say, rather defiantly, "No, you're not, Santa is."

The hobo laughed again, placed a Santa hat on his head, and said, "You mean this guy?" Before he chuckled just like Santa.

Once he'd stopped laughing, he said, "Where are my manners? Do sit down, and let me offer you a mug of Joe."

As they did so, sitting on two boxes, Sapphire asked the Hero Boy what his name was. "Oh, it's Chris." he said.

As they drank their coffee, the hobo and Chris had a short discussion about Santa, before he put the fire out, and said "Seeing is believing, am I right?"

Chris had a hesitant look on his face as he asked, "We are really going to the North Pole, aren't we?"

The hobo laughed, and said, "Aren't we?" In a mocking sort of way.

"Are you saying that this is just a dream?" He asked, now looking hopelessly lost. Of course it wasn't a dream, not for him, anyway, and Sapphire and Katja were willing to bet that when their journey on the amazingly cool train was over, there'd be some kind of evidence to suggest that it was real.

"You said it, kid. Not me." The hobo said, downing the last of his coffee, before making a rather good suggestion of finding Sophie. Then he turned to them, and asked, "Oh, by the way, do any of you believe in ghosts?"

The two girls nodded, but Chris, staring at them incredulously, shook his head.

"Interesting." The hobo said, before leaving them behind. Almost instantly, Chris threw himself into the snow, but the girls immediately pulled him up again. Within minutes, the hobo was back, yelling at Chris to wake up, 'cause there was no sleepwalking on his train.

As he said something about jumping them knuckles, and flipping Chris onto his shoulders, two other ghostly figures appeared out of nowhere, and offered the girls a ride on their shoulders. They were both relieved, as neither of them fancied walking in the snow.

"We've got to make it to the hog." The hobo carrying Chris said.

"The what?" All three teenagers or pre-teens asked.

"The engine, you tenderfeet." He said, as one of the others explained a little further, "We have to make it to the engine before we reach Flat Top Tunnel."

Sapphire and Katja instantly knew why that was important, as Chris asked why. "Because, young man, there is but one inch of clearance between the roof of this rattler and Flat Top Tunnel. Savvy?"

The two girls flinched; it must have a very painful death for him to endure. They then glanced at the other ghosts, and wondered what kind of tragic end they had met.

With precise control of their skis, the ghosts jumped over the tops of carriages, until they had reached the engine, telling them to jump inside at the right time. They vanished and the other three leapt right on top of a bunch of coal.

 **AN: Yet another chapter done and dusted. I** **was watching the movie, and apart from a few things, that's pretty much the gist of it.**


	9. Chapter 9

Caribou Crossing

 **AN: Yes, the second chapter today :) Enjoy, as there will probably be more.**

 _Previously:_

 _With precise control of their skis, the ghosts jumped over the tops of carriages, until they had reached the engine, telling them to jump inside at the right time. They vanished and the other three leapt right on top of a bunch of coal._

All three of them slid down the bunch of coal, and once they were standing, Sapphire attacked the soot that had clung to her pajamas. Then they headed towards the engine itself, and much to Chris's surprise, but the girls knew who'd be there, was Sophie, driving the train.

"I thought you were thrown off, and you're driving the train!?" Chris said, incredulously.

"They put me in charge." She said cheerfully, and then added, "The engineer had to check the light."

A faint wail from far away reached Sapphire's ears, and she chuckled, knowing that one of the engineers was about to fall off, and had grabbed the other guys long hair.

"How do you know what to do?" Chris asked her, and she smiled again.

"It's quite easy, I'll show you." She pointed to a big lever and said, "That's the throttle." She then pointed to a small one, and said, "That's the brakes." She then pointed to the pressure gauges, and then said, with another smile, "That rope is the whistle."

"The whistle?" Chris repeated, and she nodded. "Wanna try it out?"

He didn't need to answer as the big grin on his face said , "Yes, I will." With that, he yanked on it, and said, "I've wanted to do that my whole life."

Outside, at the front, the engineers had managed to fix the light, and then noticed that there was something odd about the tracks. Realizing the predicament they were in, the engineer yelled towards the engine, "STOP THE TRAIN!" As loudly as possible.

The three girls and Chris glanced towards the man, and his instructions became clear.

"We have to stop the train." Sapphire said, and asked Sophie "Which one did you say was the brake?"

Sophie pointed, and Sapphire slammed it backwards. Fortunately, it was the right one. However, their celebration was short-lived as the conductor yelled out, "There can be no Christmas without the Polar Express arriving on time. Am I the only one who understands that?"

He was half way through telling Chris off, having once already stopped the train, when Sophie pointed, and said, "But look!"

He hurried over to the window, and then shouted, "Caribou Crossing?!"

Sapphire and Katja also headed to the window, and spotted several reindeer-like animals on the tracks.

"It's going to take some time before they clear this." Muttered one of the engineers.

Just then, Katja slid over, and instinctively grabbed the nearest thing, which was the very long red hair of the other engineer. He yelled in a way that was remarkably similar to the way Caribou sound.

As though he had been speaking to them, the Caribou responded with their own noise, and slowly moved back. Getting the gist of it, the Conductor pulled the man's hair, and each time the poor guy yelled, the Caribou moved back.

As they moved away, the Conductor said, "Well, problem solved. All ahead, slowly." The engineers listened, and within moments, the Caribou had vanished.

 **AN: Hope you enjoyed that :)**


	10. Chapter 10

Ice Frozen Over The Tracks

 _Previously:_

 _As they moved away, the Conductor said, "Well, problem solved. All ahead, slowly." The engineers listened, and within moments, the Caribou had vanished._

As the four teenagers grinned at the sight of the caribou leaving, the engineer and the coal man noticed they were going too fast, and attempted to slow down. Their efforts were for naught, and Chris said, with an edge of worry in his tone, "We're going pretty fast."

The Conductor nodded in agreement, and turning to Sapphire, said, "Tell the engineer to slow down."

She faced towards the engine, yelling as loudly as possible in the wintery wind to "Slow down!" "Watch the speed!"

The engineer was doing his best, when all of a sudden, the cotter pin sheared off.

"The what just sheared off?" Asked the coal man.

"The pin, over there." He yelled, pointing down at the ground, just as the pin slipped through a crack, causing both of them to say, "Oh no!"

Meanwhile, Sapphire reported to the Conductor that they couldn't hear her.

"They can't?" The conductor asked, as the train came to the top of a hill. "I don't like the look of this," he said, as they passed signs saying, "Danger, 179 degrees grade," the other saying, "Use low gear."

"Quick, under the safety bar!" He said sharply, and all five of them stood there.

"Is everything ok? What do we do?" Chris asked.

"Well, considering the fact that we've lost communication with the engineer, currently standing exposed on the front of the locomotive, which appears to be accelerating uncontrollably," he began, fixing a safety belt to the front, "Not to mention, rapidly approaching Glacier Gulch, which just happens to be the steepest downhill grade in the world, I suggest we all hold on... TIGHTLY!"

He yelled the last word as the train zipped down Glacier Gulch at an uncontrollable speed, the others also screaming. It was like a roller coaster ride at an amusement park, but much more dangerous.

"Are we going to die!?" Kat screamed at Sapphire, who shouted back, "I sincerely hope not!"

Once their roller coaster ride was over, they had another problem to deal with. The ice had frozen over the tracks.

Inside the engine, the pin had come flying out of the crack, and the engineer had swallowed it. Beginning to choke, the other guy helped him out by smacking him over the head with a hammer, only to have the pin to come flying out and dislodging itself in the icy, frozen sea.

Meanwhile, the train was sliding around on the ice, and Sophie was nearly thrown off. The conductor grabbed her, and the others pulled him back. Sapphire, standing at the back, felt someone pulling her back, and she turned to see the Hobo, who pulled them all up, before disappearing.

"Well, you three, quick thinking on your part. Some adventure, yes?"

They nodded in agreement. Back in the engine, the coal man pulled off his cap and pulled the pin from his _very_ long hair, fixing it into place. Finally, the train rightened itself, and came to a complete stop.

The conductor, more pleased, said, "Well, that's more like it." His expression became stern however, as he headed towards the engine and demanded to know what on earth was going on. He looked up to the sound of cracking ice, which was rapidly cracking towards the train, causing the Conductor to yell, "Get us the blazes out of here!"

After some time, once tracks had been spotted, and the Conductor gave directions, the train was soon on its way to the North Pole.

 **AN: More to come :)**


	11. Chapter 11

The Conductor's Story

Previously _:_

 _After some time, once tracks had been spotted, and the Conductor had given directions, the train was soon on its way to the North Pole._

Whilst the train had been going the way the Conductor said, the ticket from Chris's slipper flew into the air, at which Sophie cried out, "You're going to lose your ticket."

Chris suddenly remembered that he'd stuck Sophie's ticket in there, and said, "It's not mine, it's your's!"

Sophie suddenly looked really excited, as she said, "It's mine?"

"Yes." Chris said, making a grab for it. The three girls joined in, and once they had caught it, they noticed that the carriages were beginning to submerge in water. "Brace yourselves!" Yelled the Conductor, as they finally got onto the tracks. "Well, that's more like it." He said, satisfied.

Sophie was very grateful as she hugged the others, saying, "Thank you so much. I can't believe you found my ticket."

"Did someone say "they found a ticket?"" asked the Conductor, and they nodded.

"Well then, tickets please." Sophie handed it to him, and he punched it a few times before giving it back.

"LE" Chris said.

"Just like Luke." Kat said, and then clarified at the other's blank looks, "the know-it-all kid."

As the train made it's way up a mountain, the girls and Chris made their way across the top, the Conductor telling them to watch their step.

"Rather tricky walking up here," he said, then, as Sapphire and Chris slid, he added, "What did I tell ya?"

Then he told them a little story. "Years ago, on my first Christmas Eve run, I was up on the roof making my rounds when I slipped on the ice myself. I reached out for a hand iron, but it broke off. I slid and fell. And yet, I didn't fall from the train."

"Someone saved you." Sophie said.

"Or something." The Conductor said, a mysterious note to his tone.

"An angel?" Kat inquired.

"Perhaps." The Conductor said, jumping down into the nearest compartment.

"Hang on," Chris called. "What did he look like? Did you see him?"

"No Sir. But sometimes seeing is believing. And sometimes, the most real things in the world are the things we can't see." He said, helping the girls down.

Then he headed into a room that was filled with abandoned toys. Sapphire specially, wanted to cry at their misfortunes. She may have been fourteen, but she had a great number of barbie dolls and stuffed toys, all of which she loved to pieces.

Kat also looked at the toys sadly, before following Sapphire back into the main compartment.

As they headed off to find Billy, Luke ambushed them, telling them about things that had happened, and which they already knew. Basically ignoring him, they spotted Chris a little way ahead of them, heading towards Billy's compartment.

 **AN: Still more and more to come. My writing skills are on fire this evening.**


	12. Chapter 12

When Christmas Comes To Town

 **AN: I don't own this sweet song. All I own is my imagination and Sapphire. Enjoy :)**

 _Previously:_

 _Basically ignoring him, they spotted Chris a little way ahead of them, heading towards Billy's compartment._

Hearing Billy singing softly to himself, they drew level with him, but they approached, Sophie put a finger to her lips, and opened the door a little, the sound of Billy's voice floating towards them.

 **"I'm wishing on a star**  
 **And trying to believe**  
 **That even though it's far**  
 **He'll find me Christmas Eve**  
 **I guess that Santa's busy**  
 **Cause he's never come around**  
 **I think of him**  
 **When Christmas comes to town."**

Sapphire smiled gently, thinking to herself as Sophie walked up behind Billy, and sang, making him jump.

 **"The best time of the year**

 **When everyone comes home**

 **With all this Christmas Cheer**

 **It's hard to be alone."**

Kat joined in, as well.

 **"Putting up the Christmas Tree**

 **With friends who come around**

 **It's So much fun**

 **When Christmas come to town."**

Sapphire smiled again, and sang too.

 **"Presents for the children**

 **Wrapped In red and green**

 **All the things I've heard about**

 **But never really seen**

 **No one will be sleeping on the night of Christmas Eve**

 **Hoping Santa's on his way."**

 **"When Santa's sleigh bells ring**

 **I listen all around**

 **The Herald Angels Sing**

 **I never heard a sound**

 **And all the dreams of children**

 **Once lost, will all be found**

 **I all I want when Christmas Comes to town**

 **That's all I want when Christmas comes... to town."**

Then as they all looked up, they saw an astonishing and beautiful sight. The sky was lit with colour, and Chris exclaimed, "The Northern Lights." **AN: I've partially** **seen the Southern Lights, and they are incredible.**

Just then, the Conductor came out and said, "Hey, you five. We just crossed it. Latitude 66 degrees 33'. The Arctic Circle. And do you see? Those lights in the distance. They look like the lights of a strange ocean liner sailing on a frozen sea."

Kat and Sapphire could hardly wait for him to say what they knew he would say next.

"There," he said, before pausing for dramatic effect, "Is the North Pole."

 **AN: Probably another two more chapters tonight. My brain is telling me to write.**


	13. Chapter 13

The North Pole Part 1

 _Previously:_

 _Just then, the Conductor came out and said, "Hey, you five. We just crossed it. Latitude 66 degrees 33'. The Arctic Circle. And do you see? Those lights in the distance. They look like the lights of a strange ocean liner sailing on a frozen sea."_

 _Kat and Sapphire could hardly wait for him to say what they knew he would say next._

 _"There," he said, before pausing for dramatic effect, "Is the North Pole."_

Once he had uttered those fantastic words, Katja and Sapphire looked eagerly towards the city that was the North Pole, and the reason for their traveling all the way from their word into the world of the Polar Express.

"We're nearly there, Sapphire," she murmured, and looping her arm through that of her friend's, they headed back into the train, singing the wonderful song about the Polar Express.

 **"It's a magic carpet on a rail**

 **That never takes a rest**

 **Flying through the mountains and the snow**

 **You can ride for free and join the fun if you just say "Yes"**

 **'Cause that's the way things happen on the Polar Express**

 **Whoo-whoo, the whistle blows**

 **That's the sound of her singing**

 **Ding, ding the bell will ring**

 **Golly, look at her go.**

 **You wonder if you'll get there soon,**

 **Anybody's guess**

 **'Cause that's the way things happen on the Polar Express.**

 **When we get there, we'll scream "Yay!"**

 **We'll arrive with a bang, bang, bang**

 **Boom, boom, boom, laughing all the way**

As they sang, the delighted Conductor cried out, "We made it, with five minutes to spare. We made it." He then headed back inside, just as Sophie said, "There should be elves. Where are they?"

"More than likely," Sapphire said, "They're in the center of the city."

The Conductor nodded, and added, "That is where Santa will give the First Gift of Christmas."

Luke eagerly asked, "Who gets the First Gift of Christmas?"

The Conductor raised an eyebrow, and said, "He will choose one of you."

Just then, Katja spotted elves out of the corner of her eye, marching to the beat of "O Tannenbaum," which everyone eagerly watched. The Polar Express was slowing down, and finally stopped.

Katja and Sapphire looked at each other eagerly. This was another of their favorite scenes: in this one, Chris accidentally knocked the front of the train from the back, eventually ending up in Santa's Sack of presents.

"I think we should go with them," Kat said, referring to the others who got caught in Santa's Sack.

Sapphire looked somewhat skeptical. "Remember that bridge they had to cross?" She asked.

Kat sighed, as they got off with the others.

But then, she and Sapphire decided to go with Sophie, Chris, and Billy. Surely, they'd find a safer alternative, and if not, they could probably balance their way across.

Page Break

They hurried back to persuade Billy to come with them, but he firmly stated, that even though they had been nothing but kind to him, Christmas had never worked out for him, so he wasn't going. Just then, the train shook, and when Chris opened the door, the rest of the train was rolling away.

To make matters worse, their compartment started moving backwards. And just when it seemed everything was going to be fine, the track switcher changed, sending them on the wrong path.

There was no break to be found, of course, but that didn't matter, 'cause they were soon heading into a tunnel. A minute after that, they found themselves spinning around for some time, before the train carriage finally stopped.

The familiar tune of "Winter Wonderland" made Sapphire cringe; it had never been her favorite Christmas song. Then she gulped nervously, as there was no way out but by crossing those bridges.

Determined to not look down, she gingerly went first, slowly but surely moving, often asking the others if they were okay.

After some frightening minutes, everyone had made it across, and were racing towards the tunnel. As they raced out of it, they heard a record of "Silver Bells," which seemed to stick on the "ring-a-ling bit."

They heard the sounds of bells, and followed Sophie into a room filled with elves, telephones, and images of sleeping children.

An elf came by to say that the last present had been finished, and had been wrapped in candy-striped red with a number seven Holly-green bow.

"A number seven bow? When we're this close to lift off?" An elf asked. "What are they thinking down there? Are they meshuggener? Where's it heading?"

"To the United States. Grand Rapids, Michigan."

Chris softly exclaimed that he was from Grand Rapids, but Sapphire and Katja both knew that he wasn't the only one among them from Grand Rapids.

Suddenly, the red "Naughty" button began to flash, causing one elf to exclaim, "That's all we need on our busiest night. What's his 20?"

"Apparently, some kid from Maple, New Jersey stuck some chewing gum in his sister's hair." One elf said.

The same elf wondered if he was the same kid who stuck a tack under his teacher's chair the year before. It wasn't.

"So, do we alert the Big Man? Does it mean that he gets nothing for Christmas?

The kid was then called, saying "I didn't do it."

One elf relented, saying that was almost Christmas, and to be on the safe side, put him on the check twice list for the following Christmas.

Then they shut everything down, and climbed aboard the pneumatic, knowing it was the fastest way to get to the square on time. "And time is money." Said the chief elf.

"Let's go," Sophie whispered, as they waited for the elves to leave.

 **AN: I would love to write more, but even good authors need sleep. So goodnight from me, and there will be more chapters tomorrow, and that's a promise.**


	14. Chapter 14

The North Pole- Part 2

 _Previously:_

 _Then they shut everything down, and climbed aboard the pneumatic, knowing it was the fastest way to get to the square on time. "And time is money." Said the chief elf._

 _"Let's go," Sophie whispered, as they waited for the elves to leave._

The elves climbed into the pneumatic, and were off with a zing. Katja eyed the pneumatic somewhat worriedly. "There probably won't be enough room for all of us." She whispered to Sapphire, who nodded in agreement.

Turning to the others, she said, "Listen. We'll get in the one after you, please stay where you are." The other three nodded in agreement, and were off with a zing.

Sapphire and Katja climbed into the next pneumatic, and as they took off, it took them through the city, much like a ride in space before it stopped.

The other three were waiting patiently there for them, and Sapphire remarked, "Some ride, huh?"

The sounds of "It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas" reached their ears, and far below them was a very long conveyor belt, no doubt there to escort every single present in the world to Santa's Sack.

Chris glanced down at the arrows which were pointing in a straight direction, and said that they should probably follow them. This they did, until they reached a tunnel. Once out of it, there seemed to be no way to get out.

"We're going to miss everything," Sophie muttered, but just then, there was a loud blaring sound, the conveyor belt moved, causing them to get off, and a present fell onto it.

Chris eyed it eagerly, and exclaimed, "It's going to my town. To someone named Billy."

Billy pipped up, "That's my name."

When Sophie said the address, Billy said, "That's my address."

As the present passed by, Billy eyed it, and then jumped onto the belt. The other four did the same, and found themselves on the hugest slide they had ever seen, going up and down, before beginning to spiral in the same way that water is drained from a bathtub. Billy was hanging into the present tightly, as they all fell right on top of the huge bag of presents. Billy exclaimed over the present in his hands. When Sophie said that it read "Merry Christmas Billy, from Mr C," Sapphire couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" Kat asked, and Sapphire smiled. "My English teacher is called Mr C." she explained.

Billy, after giving it a shake, and saying that he wanted one of these his whole life, was prepared to open it. Sophie stopped him, and pointed to another label that read, "Do not open till Christmas."

Billy looked so sad, but as Chris pointed out, those were the rules. They were then pulled along on a large trolley that was moving backwards, before they were directly underneath a canvas tent which had a huge hole in it.

They all looked at each other before there was a sound of fireworks being set off. They were so busy watching the ropes above them that none of them noticed that the sack was being lifted up and around the presents.

The sack, which was connected to some flying machine in the sky, was lifted right up out of the hole, and was carried right over the majestic city, all the way to the square.

As they looked at the majestic sights coming their way, Billy suddenly gave a yell, and fell. The three girls and Chris took hold of him, and managed to pull him up, as well as Luke.

"Whatever are you doing here?" Sapphire asked sharply.

"Same as you. I came to check my presents and all I got was some stupid underwear."

Sapphire rolled her eyes, and suddenly couldn't wait for him to find out what his ticket said.

Suddenly, Chris said "Look" and pointed to an astonishing sight. A ginormous Christmas Tree was shining gold in the center of the city, and it looked utterly beautiful. A golden star shone from the top, and a voice from above them called, "You may start your descent any time now, at your convenience of course."

Four elves took some of the air out the large balloons that supported them, making a farting sound, and causing Sapphire and Katja to snigger uncontrollably.

Sophie suddenly said cheerfully, "It's still five to, I think we're gonna make it."

Luke scoffed, and said, "What gives? It's been five to for the last hour. We've got time to kill."

Chris said that he didn't think they were going to make it, as the Conductor called out below, "I may just be an old railroader, and know nothing about lighter-than-air craft, but from my layman's perspective, you need more altitude."

The crowd below chorused, "More altitude!"

The same voice above called, "Altitude please, a bit more altitude please."

Some of the elves floated down to the ground, and the bag was lifted high into the air. The Conductor said the elves were called "The Flying Elves." He also said they were specialists, and they were never to try that at home.

As Chris said again that they weren't going to make it, the bag knocked the star off the tree, which fell to the ground, striking an elf on the side of his nose, before flying back to the top of the tree, relieving him.

"A well-oiled machine." The Conductor said, sounding very pleased, as the sack was placed on Santa's Sleigh.

Just then, a couple of elves peered in, and said, "Alright you stowaways, party's over."

Luke looked a little nervous, and bluttered out, "I was just following them."

Sapphire, Kat, and Chris echoed in unison, "We fell in here by mistake."

One of the elves reassured them. "Forget about it. We knew you were in there the whole time."

"So, we're not in trouble?" Kat asked.

"No, don't worry about it. Although, we may want to make sure that you don't do things like stowawaying next year." The elf said.

"Is that even a real word?" Kat asked, before the elf said, "Alright, time to get down."

Sapphire and Katja climbed out first, slid down the sack, and then ended up doing somersaults, to great amounts of applause.

"Well, hello again." The Conductor said, before greeting the other kids. Once Billy had finally handed his present back to the elf, it was placed in the sack, and the string was tied around it.

 **AN: Another long chapter for you all. And no, there is no such word as "stowawaying."**


	15. Chapter 15

Santa And Tickets

 _Previously:_

 _"Well, hello again." The Conductor said, before greeting the other kids. Once Billy had finally handed his present back to the elf, it was placed in the sack, and the string was tied around it._

Once the rope had been tightened, there was a loud fanfare, and a great deal of cheering.

The elves began singing a song called "The Spirit of the Season." There were more fanfares, and the elves held up strings of bells. When they shook them, the most beautiful sound filled the air.

For a moment, Sapphire and Katja saw Chris smile, before the smile slid right from his face. He couldn't, as they knew, hear the bell, 'cause he still didn't believe.

Sophie wasn't very helpful, as she asked cheerfully, "Aren't those bells the most beautiful sound?"

They were, but not if you couldn't hear them.

The bells were harnessed to the reindeer, and Chris looked more and more distressed. There came another fanfare, followed by a moment of silence, followed by everybody singing "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town."

Just then, an entrance to the square lit up brightly, and the shadow of Santa Claus could be clearly seen. Sapphire and Katja jumped up and down, waving with the others, and grinned at each other. Their second journey into worlds not their own was simply incredible.

As Bing Crosby's "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town," Sophie said excitedly, "He's here."

They nodded excitedly, as elves climbed on top of each other's shoulders, to wave at their boss. Chris was desperately trying to see him, but had no luck, until one of the bells suddenly flew off, and the music slowed down.

As he picked up the bell, Sapphire watched him say desperately, "I believe," and looked astonished and pleased when the bell ring clearly in his ear. Sapphire noticed Santa's reflection in the bell, and then did Chris.

"What was that you said?" Santa inquired.

"I, I believe." Said Chris, before something occurred to him, and he held out the bell, saying, "I believe this is yours."

"Well, thank you." Santa said, grateful.

Just then, Luke became rather annoying, as he asked to have the first gift of Christmas.

Santa nodded, and said, "Young man, patience. And a touch of humility might also serve you well."

Luke looked chastised, and muttered "Yes Sir." Causing Sapphire and Kat to laugh.

Santa glanced over at them, and whispered, "Welcome to the North Pole, and keep on imagining."

They looked thoroughly pleased, and thanked him.

He told Sophie that she was a lady of decision, Christmas spirit, and to keep up the good work.

He then told Billy that there was no greater gift than friendship, before inviting Chris to have the first gift of Christmas.

They all saw him receive the bell, but only the girls knew that it had been placed in the pocket with the hole.

As he came back to join them, Santa flew around them, and amidst the cheering, Sophie said, "It's everything I dreamed it would be."

Billy glanced over at Chris, and asked if it could all just be a dream.

As Chris reassured him, Sapphire and Kat glanced at each other, and sincerely hoped it wasn't.

Finally, Santa cracked his whip, and the Christmas Tree in the square lit up as he flew around it and went to deliver presents. When he had gone, and the dust from Santa's whip had vanished, the elves cried, "Yippee!" Probably because it was officially Christmas Day. They then danced around, and some placed the back of the train on.

Once the elves had placed the back of the train on again, it was time for them to find out what the tickets said. When the Conductor got to Luke, the boy handed him his ticket, and away went the ticket puncher. When it was handed back, Luke's expression was perplexed.

"Lean? Whatever that's supposed to mean."

"Probably means you need to eat lean meat." Sapphire, who was two people behind him, said.

Kat, right behind him, laughed appreciatively."

"Perhaps, but "lean" is spelt with four letters. I believe I punched five," the Conductor said, showing him again.

"Hey! Are you saying I don't know how to?" Luke began, indignantly, taking the ticket from the man. Then his expression cleared, and said, "Oh, it says "Learn." My mistake," he said, as he climbed onto the train.

"Lesson learned." The Conductor said, as Kat handed him hers.

"Thank you, Ma'am." He said punching it, and handed it back to her.

Like Luke before her, Kat also looked perplexed when she saw what was on her ticket: BELIEVE

"But I already do." She said, looking to the Conductor for confirmation, who handed her another ticket, and said, "Sometimes, they refer to the future."

Kat climbed into the compartment with the other kids, and sat down to look at the other ticket. She'd only just looked down, when she heard a bout of laughter from outside. Looking out the window, she was surprised to see Sapphire chuckling, said, "I will do," and went to sit next to her friend, still chuckling.

"What's so funny?" Kat asked, and Sapphire handed her her ticket. CONSENTRATE was the word punched into it, and she asked, "What's that other ticket?"

"The Conductor said that sometimes they refer to the future." Kat said, and looked down at the ticket, which said CONDUCTOR.

"He got this ticket," she said thoughtfully, as Billy came and asked if he could sit with them.

"Sure thing." Kat said, and the two girls moved over to let him sit with them. As Sapphire had guessed earlier, his ticket said FAMILY.

"It's what I really need," he said, as Chris walked in, the kids clambering around him, asking him to show them the bell.

When they discovered it was missing, they offered to help him find it, but as the train left the square, it was too late.

Kat and Sapphire knew he'd find it that morning, but they felt sorry for him all the same.

Page Break

Having dropped off everyone else, the Conductor was nearly ready to head back home to rest. But first, he had to drop two girls not of his world, off.

When they arrived back in Wellington, the girls woke up, and asked, "What did Billy's ticket mean?"

The Conductor smiled, and said that Santa, being the magical person he was, was able to turn back the clock, and give Billy his whole family back.

"That would make anybody's Christmas," Sapphire mused, and the Conductor smiled again. "Indeed, and speaking of which, it's time you left and had Christmas in your world."

They nodded, wished him a "Merry Christmas," and headed back to the tent in the freezing cold, wondering if there would be a sign that they had been on the Polar Express.

 **AN: And** **that's the end of the Polar Express. However, it is by no means the end of the story. And the bit about the Conductor's ticket comes from the story "The Magic Inside the Polar Express."**


	16. Chapter 16

Christmas Day

 **AN: The sixteenth chapter of Katja and Sapphire on the Polar Express. Enjoy, it's "Christmas Day." Well, in the story, at least. :)**

Sunshine flooded the streets of Silverstream, the flowers waking in its brilliance, and if one listened carefully enough, they would hear the delighted cries of adults and young children alike. They would think that several people were having a large party of some kind, and they wouldn't be wrong. For that certain day was one that everybody looked forward to for sometime: Christmas Day.

The sun's beams had just reached a pale green tent, and warmed the inside, not to mention it's occupants. Sapphire Stone's closed eyes began to flutter under her long lashes, and the warm sunshine woke her up.

She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, and yawned. She smiled thoughtfully as she recalled her wonderful dream; she and Katja had caught the Polar Express and had gone to the North Pole, meeting Santa Claus, and then had caught the train back.

Speaking of Katja, Sapphire's eyes flicked from the ceiling to her friend, and her eyes widened in astonishment, as she was lying in a strange position.

Somehow, durring the night, she had ended up by the tent's entrance, with her left knee tucked under her chin, and her right leg was lying across Sapphire's sleeping bag. Her head was lying on top of her left arm, and her right arm was drapped across her chest.

Sapphire then leaned towards her, and poked the tip of Katja's nose. She then burst out laughing when the girl, still asleep, sat up and sneezed.

Taking her chance, Sapphire yelled, "BLESS YOU!" causing Katja to jump, and opened her chocolate brown eyes. "What did you say?" She asked sleepily.

"I said "bless you," 'cause you sneezed when I poked your nose." Sapphire said, and Katja gave a sleepy laugh.

Then her eyes widened, and she said, "OMG, Sapphy!"

"What?" Sapphire asked, wondering if something had startled her friend.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS!" Kat yelled jovially, and both friends embraced one another warmly.

"Merry Christmas to you, too." Sapphire said warmly, before her eyes lightened, and she said, "Let's go wake up our parents."

Hurriedly, they dashed out of the tent, and raced inside. Sapphire ran into her parent's room, and leapt right on top of her mum. "Wake up, Mum! It's Christmas!"

In the spare bedroom, Katja was doing the exact same thing, and five minutes later, the six of them were opening their Santa stockings. There were chocolate bars, and costume jewelry, coke, socks, perfume, and in Sapphire and Katja's stockings, there was a novelized dramatization of the Polar Express.

The two girls stared at the books, and then at each other. When they opened the book, they spotted their tickets: CONCENTRATE and BELIEVE.

"Maybe it wasn't a dream," Sapphire said quietly to herself as she took a bite from her Moro bar, looking thoughtful.

Katja was also looking thoughtful, but they were soon pulled out of their thoughts when Sapphire's dad turned on the Christmas radio station, and Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas" began to play. As Sapphire's mum and Katja's mum cheerfully began to make breakfast, the two friends danced around to the happy music that filled the air.

Some five minutes later, Katja's uncle came around, and gave his niece a hug. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart." He said warmly, and added, "You looked absolutely gorgeous in that silver dress last night."

Katja smiled, before helping Sapphire set the table for seven. Aside from the cutlery, and the condiments, there was also bottles of orange juice, and two bottles of alcohol, one called Bailey's, the other called Crème De Menthe.

The teenagers eyed the other two bottles, wondering what kind of alcohol they were. Seeing their puzzled looks, the adults informed them that Bailey's was a chocolate liqueur, and Crème De Menthe was a peppermint one.

"Perhaps later on, you girls could try the two together, but in the meantime, there's juice, coke, lemonade, LLB, and grapefruit juice."

Kat looked confused as she swallowed a rasher of bacon. "LLB?"

"Lemon, Lime, and Bitters." Sapphire clarified with a smile as the adults finished their breakfast, knowing that it was time to open presents.

 **AN: Another chapter finished :) Please R &** **R.**


	17. Chapter 17

All But One Present  
 **AN: Chapter 17, and I hope you enjoy it**  
 _Previously:_  
 _Kat looked confused as she swallowed a rasher of bacon. "LLB?"_  
 _"Lemon, lime, and bitters," Sapphire clarified with a smile as the adults finished their breakfast, knowing that it was time to open presents._  
Sapphire's father smiled warmly at them all, before plonking himself beside the tree, ready to hand out the presents. There was quite a lot more than usual, as Katja, her parents, and her uncle had bought all their presents to the one house, and it looked amazing.

Colours of red, green, silver, purple, and gold sprinkled the bottom of the tree, as Sapphire's father, Andreas, picked up the first present and read, "To Kat, a very Merry Christmas from Sapphire, X."  
Kat smiled at her friend, and with a pleased "Thank-you, Mr. Stone," began to tear into the wrapping to reveal a beautiful leather photo album, filled with photos of their two months together when she'd been an exchange student.

"Sapphire, this is so thoughtful of you. I haven't got many photos of the two of us." She said, giving her friend a hug.  
"You're welcome," Sapphire said cheerfully, and was even more so when her present from Katja was revealed to be "The Emperor's Code" and "Storm Warning."  
"I was looking through your books when you were at school, and decided on those two." Kat said, and was treated to a hug from Sapphire.  
"Thanks, I appreciate that." She said, and the morning carried on in the same manner.

Kat's parents had given her the full set of Harry Potter books, her uncle had given her a dark blue t-shirt which, in silver writing, read "Dear Santa, define good," and Sapphire's parents, at a loss of what to get her, had bought a large box and filled it with the kinds of things that can only be acquired in New Zealand.

It included things like Pineapple Lumps, L&P, a calendar with different kiwi icons, pencils with little kiwis on them, a NZ icon colouring book, sheep-shaped erasers who were wearing backpacks with sharpeners inside, and a green t-shirt with a map of New Zealand on it.  
"That's so nice," Kat said happily, and shook Andreas's hand, and hugged Ariana.  
Sapphire's parents had given their daughter a recipe book, her grandparents had given her a nail kit, her aunt in England had sent her a gorgeous photo of the Christmas Tree in Trafalgar Square, her cousins had sent biscuits with Christmas-related shapes, and Sir Bob Geldof had given her a copy of his Autobiography "Is That It?" signed, as well as Pink Floyd's The Wall film.  
"Thanks, Sir Geldof," she murmured, pleased as punch. Her parents smiled as well, as they recalled the thoughtfulness of their daughter's school.  
PAGE BREAK

Ariana got a beautiful pair of authentic cowgirl boots from her husband, a stetson and a $30 book voucher for Paper Plus from her daughter, her parents-in-law had given her three bottles of Pinot Gris, as well as a $50 gift voucher for a manicure at a day spa in Wellington, and her good friend Claire had given her a nail kit.

Andreas's wife and daughter had both given him $50 vouchers; his wife had given him a voucher for itunes, and Sapphire had given him one for Jb Hi-Fi, a store in which movies and music is sold. His parents had given him three bottles of Pinot Gris, and his sister had given him an autobiography about Roger Waters, lead singer of one of his favorite English rock bands, Pink Floyd.

Kat's parents were given a hamper of NZ treats from the Stone family, movie passes from Kat's uncle, and t-shirts from their daughter.

Kat's uncle had been given Pinot Noir from the Stone's, fine cheeses and biscuits from Katja, and a photo album from his sister and brother-in-law.  
 **AN: So, I had fun writing that. Hope you enjoy reading it, and if you want to know about anything, like what something is, or why I've given certain people their names, ask away, and I'll only be too happy to answer your questions :)**  
 **TTFN, my lovely fans :)**


	18. Chapter 18

Surprises  
 **AN: This chapter has a few. Also, I wish to finish this story soon, because I want to start my next one soon.**  
 _Previously:_  
 _Kat's parents were given a hamper of NZ treats from the Stone family, movie passes from Kat's uncle, and t-shirts from their daughter._  
 _Kat's uncle had been given Pinot Noir from the Stone's, fine cheeses and biscuits from Katja, and a photo album from his sister and brother-in-law._  
Kat and Sapphire smiled at the mess of paper, ribbons, and tape strewn all over the living room floor, and offered to help clean it up.  
"That's kind of you girls, but something tells me that we've missed a couple of presents." Ariana said, smiling at their offering to help, and looking in confusion at a couple of envelopes right at the back of the tree.  
Sapphire got down on all fours, and slid her way under the tree, causing Katja to laugh at her movements. A moment later, Sapphire wiggled her way out from under the tree, holding the envelopes in her hand.  
When she looked more closely at them, one of them had her name on it, the other had the names of her parents.  
Handing the one with her parents name on it to her parents, she opened the one with her name on it. It was a Christmas present of sorts from Katja's parents, a note saying that they were going to get new next-door neighbors soon.  
"New next-door neighbors?" Sapphire asked, raising an eyebrow. "How did you know?"  
"Well, we know your new next-door neighbors." Katja's mum said, sharing a wink with her husband and daughter.  
"Really?" Sapphire's mum asked, then inquired, with her daughter obviously on her mind, "Do they have children?"  
"Oh, yes, they certainly do." Katja said, smiling like an idiot.  
"Who are they?" Sapphire asked, at the same time her father asked, "Do we know them?"  
"Yes, you do know them, because they are us." All three Kyparissia's chorused as one.  
None of the Stone's had been quite expecting that response, and while her parents could only gape, Sapphire stuttered, "Why?"  
"Well, my uncle is the only one in our family living in New Zealand, but even the rest of our family are residing in certain parts of Australia." Katja's tone had taken on a harsh note when she had said Australia, and Sapphire, remembering from their conversations that she wasn't overly keen on the idea of the continent, nodded in understanding.  
"Makes sense, I suppose," Sapphire said, before suddenly hugging her friend, and said jovially, "Welcome to New Zealand."  
Kat thought for a moment, before she said, "Cheers, mate," causing Sapphire to laugh.  
"Well, if one is to live in New Zealand, one may as well use it's colloquialisms." Kat said, and as they tied up, Sapphire asked, "So, when do your things arrive?"  
"In three days, the 28th." She said, gathering all her things together, and asked, "In the meantime, can I put my things in your room?"  
"Sure thing, and just so you know, I still go to the same school as I did when I met you for the first time." Sapphire said.  
"But the building in which you performed that play didn't look like your school." Kat said, as they ascended the stairs.  
"No, because that was the town hall." Sapphire explained as they walked into her room, before she stopped suddenly, causing Katja to nearly crash into her.  
"What's the matter, Sapphy?"  
"My wall's swirling, in the same way it did when we went to the 39 Clues world." Sapphire said, walking further in, allowing Katja to come into the room and see that her friend was right.  
"Well," she said, putting down all of her Christmas presents by the bookcase on the eastern wall, "aren't we blessed with fandom magic this Christmas season."  
Sapphire looked a little perplexed, and raised her eyebrow again. Then she let out a cry of astonishment as two envelopes came hurtling out of the wall, one a navy blue, the other a blood red.  
The two friends looked at each other in astonishment, and then looked with perplexity at the envelopes and the wall from which they had just emerged from.  
"Well, I wonder where we will end up this time," Sapphire said, picking up the envelopes with one hand, and looped her free arm through Katja's as they stepped through the portal once again.


	19. Chapter 19

Merry Christmas  
 **AN: Another chapter in one day! I know, but I do want to get this story finished. I already have an idea for my 2016 Christmas Story, (freaky, I know) and want to finish this one and let it rest. There's probably another five chapters tops to go, hope you enjoy this one.**

 _Previously:_  
 _The two friends looked at each other in astonishment, and then looked with perplexity at the envelopes and the wall from which they had just emerged from._  
 _"Well, I wonder where we will end up this time," Sapphire said, picking up the envelopes with one hand, and looped her free arm through Katja's as they stepped through the portal once again._  
After once again experiencing that odd sucking feeling one gets when they've walked into a portal, Sapphire and Katja looked around at the room in which they found themselves in.  
The room, obviously a living room, was decorated in the cheery golds, reds, greens, and silvers of Christmas. There was a six foot Christmas Tree, decorated with images of Father Christmas, snowflakes, angels with gold halos, bells, baubles, and even presents.  
Music, which they recognized to be "The Twelve Days of Christmas," was playing in the background, but as they listened carefully, and realized what language it was being sung in, the two girls felt certain they must be in St. Petersburg, Russia.  
As they took another look around, they realized that their guess was right, for even though it had been nearly two years since they had seen this place last by their own worlds time, they recognized the photos on the walls, and saw that some new ones had been added.  
"This is Irina's place," Sapphire whispered, and as if on cue, the door which she knew led to the kitchen, opened and a fair-haired, arctic blue-eyed, middle-aged woman wearing winter pajamas with Father Christmas on them, strolled purposefully into the room.  
When she spotted Sapphire and Katja, it took her less than a second for her to recognize them. Her stern-looking face split into a wide smile, and she threw her arms around them in a joyous way.  
"Merry Christmas, my любимцев!" She cried, using the Russian term for darlings.  
"Merry Christmas, Rini!" They chorused, using the nickname that they had used out of the blue one day during the Clue Hunt, and she had found it rather sweet at the time, but she had also tried not to smile.  
"I think Christmas is so magical," Irina said happily, as she led the two girls over to the balcony, where the city lay blanketed in a thick sheet of snow. Twinkling lights could be seen here and there, and the girls had to agree that it was a magical time.  
However, as she turned away, Sapphire spotted something on Irina's left index finger, and knew that this Christmas was going to be very magical for her.  
"A certain Ekat popped the question, did he?" Sapphire asked with a cheeky grin, as she realized what those envelopes could have contained. Katja gasped, and spun around, her brown eyes widening as they took in the amethysts and diamonds in the ring on her finger.  
"OMG! Irina, are you getting married!?" She exclaimed, a huge grin breaking across her face.  
"Da, on New Year's Eve, and nyet, I'm not marrying Alistair. I don't care if you ship me with him in your "Fanfictions.""  
"Then who?" Sapphire asked.  
"Well, a man I believed to be dead for several years, forced to live in exile in Tibet, until I found and recognized him two weeks ago whilst traveling around near Mount Everest." She said with another smile, and the door opened again to reveal a dark-haired, blue-eyed man smiling at all three of them.  
"May I introduce you? Katja, Sapphire, I'd like you to meet Nivalona Spasky, my husband, and soon-to-be-married-again husband?"  
The two girls gaped in astonishment, and then cheered loudly for their friend, happy that she had her family back.


	20. Chapter 20

Bridesmaids  
 **AN: I really need to knuckle down and get "Katja and Sapphire on the Polar Express" finished, so there will be a lot of the story uploaded for the next hour or so. I'm going to make something up about modern Russian weddings, but I reckon it'll be fun. Enjoy!**

 _Previously:_  
 _The two girls gaped in astonishment, and then cheered loudly for their friend, happy that she had her family back_. Once they had stopped cheering like crazy, they shook hands with Nivalona, and told him that they were so grateful that he was alive.  
Then they mentally slapped themselves, as they realised just how creepy and peculiar that must've sounded. Fortunately, Nivalona had a good sense of humor, and laughed it off. He then turned to his wife and said, "Darling, how about you ask the girls what you wanted to ask them."  
Irina nodded, warmth shining from her arctic blue eyes, as she said, "Nataliya is going to be my Matron of Honor, would you like to be my bridesmaids?"  
Sapphire considered this for a moment, thinking that the ex-spy had left it quite close to time, and then, with a warm smile she said, "Well, as long as the portal works on New Years Eve, I see no reason why we couldn't attend. Don't you think you're cutting it quite close, though?"  
Irina laughed, and said, "I'm not thick, Sapphire. I have two other bridesmaids coming as well."  
At their confused look, Irina explained that at Russian weddings there were four bridesmaids, two of which everybody knew or knew of, and the other two were known by the bride herself.  
"Nivalona doesn't have a problem with it, either, as it's been that way since 1956, I believe."  
"Well, that's an interesting idea for a wedding," Sapphire said, laughing at the idea, noticing that when she had finished laughing, the wall began to swirl again.  
"I would also love to come," Katja said, grinning happily, before asking, "What colour dress should I wear?"  
"Silver or midnight blue, as that's our colour scheme." Irina said smiling, and added, "Be prepared to dance the night away, as well."  
"Oh, we will," they chorused, before wishing the two of them a Happy Christmas, and as they began to fall through the portal, the last thing they heard Irina say was, "Let's wake up Nikolai."

 **AN: More chapters on the way.**


	21. Chapter 21

Christmas Day to New Years Eve

When they had gotten back from visiting Irina, and discovering that her husband was still alive, they just smiled at each other for a moment, before heading back downstairs and listening to "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," Sapphire dancing as they did so.  
"You know, I think this has been my best Christmas ever." She said to Katja, who found herself agreeing with her friend.  
 _After all_ , she thought, _it isn't every day one gets to meet a celebrity, ride for real on a fictitious train, find out that a close friend is moving next door, and step through portals in order to be invited to a wedding._  
Yes, she couldn't think of a better way to spend Christmas.  
"Anybody fancy a swim?" Sapphire's mum asked, and, what with the boiling hot weather, everyone agreed.  
They swam and dived for coins to their hearts content, singing along to Christmas songs, and topping up their drinks when need be.  
When lunchtime came, nobody felt like going inside to eat, so all the food and drinks were laid out on a long table in a gazebo, and they helped themselves.  
There was lots of cold meats, such as chicken, ham, turkey, as well as bread rolls, mini cheeses, crackers to go with cheese, marinated cabbage, coke, L&P, Lemonade, mashed potatoes, honeyed carrots, truffles, crackers for pulling, fancy cheeses, fruit mince pies, mince bites, nuts, a box of cadbury favourites, and a box of assorted biscuits.  
Katja stared in amazement at all the foods laid out before her, not sure what to get first. Eventually, she helped herself to chicken, a mini cheese, mashed potatoes, a bread roll, a mince pie, some nuts, and some honeyed carrots.  
As she sprinkled salt over her lunch, Kat looked up with a smile, and said, "Thanks ever so much for inviting us."  
"You're quite welcome," Sapphire's mum said, smiling.  
After lunch, however, everybody was feeling rather drowsy, especially the grown-ups, who'd been drinking alcohol.  
So, whilst the grown-ups had a snooze, Katja and Sapphire thought they'd play board games that afternoon, talking about other Christmases that had been and gone.  
PAGE BREAK  
The rest of the day was spent doing swimming, eating if they felt hungry, and in the case of the teenagers, trying little shots of baileys with creme de menthe.  
On the 26th, they decided to go into the city for the boxing day sales and swim at H2O Extreme, laughing at the thrill and excitement of going down the hydro slides.  
Whilst looking at the sales, Kat bought herself a blood red and black duvet, with matching sheets, and a bedside table.  
They had been to see the house next door, and Katja had already picked the room she wanted, happy to see that it came with an en suite, and a room big enough to be a study or a library, just for her.  
Her parents obviously had a bigger room, bathroom, and study, and then there was the kitchen, dinning room, another big room which they planned on making a library for books, CD's, and films, a sitting room, laundry room, and the garage.  
As she looked around, Kat commented that if they were ever to play hide and seek, it would take ages for her to be found.  
PAGE BREAK  
On the 27th, Sapphire and Katja didn't see each other for the whole day, as Sapphire had been invited to a friend's Bat Mitzvah in the city, and Katja had a room to make her own. However, as they were leaving, Katja glanced out of her bedroom window to see Sapphire wearing a knee-length yellow dress, white tights, and a necklace with the Star of David on it.  
On the 28th, 29th, and 30th of December, they spent those days pulling down the Christmas Tree, and putting away all the decorations and albums. They also swam, played in the park, and even went out for dinner and saw The Wizard of Oz at the St James Theater.  
On the morning of the 31st, Katja and Sapphire found their dresses that they wanted to wear, as well as anything else they might want, and at quarter to two, the wedding being at quarter past three, they headed back through the swirling wall, ready to end the year with a bang.

 **AN: Nearly finished :)**


	22. Chapter 22

The Wedding

 _Previously:_  
 _On the morning of the 31st, Katja and Sapphire found their dresses that they wanted to wear, as well as anything else they might want, and at quarter to two, the wedding being at quarter past three, they headed back through the swirling wall, ready to end the year with a bang._  
As they reached their destination, the living room of Irina's house, they found themselves in a scene of busy things going on, but not chaos.  
"Hi ya," called a friendly, American accent. The two girls looked up, astonished, to see Amy Cahill, whose long red hair was done up in a fancy bun, with curls cascading down either side of her face. She was wearing a dress of Christmas tree green, and sweet silver flats to match. Around her neck was Grace's jade necklace, and there were a pair of emerald earrings dangling down.  
"Hello, Amy. Did Irina invite you?" Sapphire asked, and Kat thought it sounded like a rather strange question, because, if Irina hadn't, then Amy wouldn't have been there.  
"Well, yes, she did. She's got a lot nicer since the Clue Hunt." Amy said, smiling.  
"Lucky, who else is coming?" Kat asked.  
"Well, there's Nataliya, the Kabras, Dan, and uncle Alistair." She said, eyeing the girls dresses approvingly. "You look really nice, by the way."  
"Thanks, where's Nellie and Fiske?" Sapphire asked, wondering if the Cahills had come on their own.  
"I don't know," said Amy. "They received invitations as well, but ever since they did, I haven't seen them."  
She then led them into another room, where Natalie was getting her make-up done. She looked up as the artist carefully placed false eyelashes over her real ones.  
"Well, if it isn't the two other peasants of the Clue Hunt." She said, her ruby lips pursed.  
"Just because we can't afford dresses made from Gucci, silk, tulle, or anything else that's expensive, doesn't mean you can insult us." Kat and Sapphire chorused in unison, just as Natalie and Amy began to laugh.  
"I'm just playing a little joke on you; I'm nothing like my mother anymore." She said smiling, and adding, "You look lovely."  
Sapphire and Kat laughed, thanked the British girl, and sat down to get their make-up done, which had been kindly arranged in advance by Irina.  
"Where is Irina, by the way?" Amy asked, looking around.  
"Getting dressed," came a familiar Russian accent, and they looked up to see Nataliya wearing an outfit of pale blue, including her makeup, apart from her lips, which were an icy pink.  
"You look lovely," Natalie said smiling.  
"I concur, but isn't the colour scheme midnight blue and silver?" Kat asked.  
"Well, yes it is, but we can wear whatever colour we wish." Nataliya said smiling.  
PAGE BREAK  
At twenty to three, Sapphire had just been wondering where Irina was, when she saw her and gasped. Irina was practically floating down the stairs, a dress of midnight blue reaching to her ankles, and matching heels on her feet.  
Attached to the dress was a silver sash, with swirling Russian letters and numbers woven into it. Her make-up had the same scheme; subtle blue and red on her face, and her nails painted silver.  
A smile graced her face as she spotted the two girls, and they could see why Irina had once been called beautiful. It was as if, when her family had come back, so had her youth.  
She was accompanied by a little boy and girl, who were twins, and they were holding the hands of a red-haired woman.  
"This is Sophie, who is the daughter of my dear friend Anna." Then, with a smile towards the two children she said, "These are Sophie's children, Alexandria and Demitrivich."  
The little girl was wearing a dress the colour of ginger, a basket of dark blue rose petals clasped gracefully in her hands. Her brother was wearing an elegant tux, and he was obviously the ring bearer.  
Nataliya glanced towards the clock, now reading ten to three, and stated that they should be heading on their way.  
The others agreed, so they headed off towards the procession of cars that awaited them, ready to renew a special part of Irina's life.  
PAGE BREAK  
The wedding was utterly beautiful. Like some weddings, Irina's was done in a church. However, unlike other weddings, the church was nearly fully encased in darkness, were it not for the luminous sparkling lights overhead, floor lighting, and glow-in-the-dark balloons.  
There was also the sound of waves crashing on a beach, real sand on the ground, and a very large luminous moon. That way, there was plenty of light, but in the way one might experience at a beach, at nighttime, and a full-lit moon.  
As Irina and Nivolona said their vows, in English, which everybody had learnt, Sapphire couldn't help but cry, a warm smile on her face.  
 _She deserves to be happy, and the room is beautiful. If I were to take a guess at the theme, I'd say it was "A moonlit wedding on a beach."_ She thought, smiling even wider as Irina and her husband embraced each other warmly, and applauding along with everyone else.  
PAGE BREAK  
Once the wedding ceremony was over, they were led outside into a glorious garden, and posed for several photos. Nikolai was there, smiling with his left arm around his mother's waist, and looking very happy.  
As for the mystery of Nellie and Fiske, well, they were there too, wishing to surprise Amy and Dan.  
After the photos were done, they mingled around for half an hour, getting to know Irina's friends and family. Alistair Oh was delighted to have been invited, and it surprised the girls that Irina's father had given her away.  
Irina herself was delighted with how well everything had gone, but she said thoughtfully, "If only my brother's could have been here."  
 **AN: Only two or three chapters left.**


	23. Chapter 23

Let's Start the New Year Right  
 **AN: I own nothing that you recognise, neither do I own Ivan, Irina's brother, as he was created by my friend Katja. The name of this chapter comes from a song sung by Bing Crosby, and I hope you enjoy it. Please review, as that will make me feel much better.**

 _Previously:_  
 _Irina herself was delighted with how well everything had gone, but she said thoughtfully, "If only my brothers could have been here."_  
She then turned to chat to Sapphire, who was enjoying a glass of orange juice nearby.  
"Did you enjoy the ceremony, Sapphire?" She inquired, and she smiled warmly.  
"Oh, it was absolutely beautiful. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and guessed that the theme was "A moonlit wedding on a beach."  
Irina nodded with a warm smile. "You're absolutely right about that, and you look very lovely in your blue dress."  
"Why, thank you, Mrs. Spaskya, you look ravishing yourself."  
Irina's eyes twinkled, and she gave the girl a hug.  
"So, are your brothers joining us?" She asked, and Irina's smile vanished, and she sighed unhappily.  
"If only they could. But no, they are on official business in Austria. Don't ask me what it is, for they wouldn't tell me," she added as Sapphire opened her mouth to speak.  
Chastened somewhat by the brides tone, Sapphire took a sip of her orange juice, and then her brow furrowed as Irina moved away to talk to Anna.  
She wasn't annoyed with Irina, but she was perplexed about the sudden buzzing sound that had filled the air.  
She spotted Katja talking to Amy and walked over to her. "Do you hear that buzzing sound?" She asked, and both girls stopped talking and tilted their heads to the sky.  
Instantly, they heard the noise, but it wasn't so much a buzzing sound, but more a whirring sound. Thoroughly confused, they looked up further and gasped in astonishment as they spotted a familiar aircraft, the name of which would make one think that it was a boat of some kind.  
And rightly so, as it was called "The Shark." But it was an aircraft, simply painted to look like a terrifying black shark.  
By now, no one was talking. They were all staring at the familiar aircraft, and Nataliya smiled broadly.  
As the shark came into land, two middle-aged men climbed out, a small crate in the hands of the younger one.  
They both had hair the colour of corn, blue eyes the colour of the sea, and wearing tuxedos.  
Irina let out a delighted cry, and ran towards her brothers, laughing for joy.  
"You made it!" She cried happily, throwing her arms around them.  
"Of course, Irina. We wouldn't miss your special day for all the world." Alek told her cheerfully, and, upon taking the crate from Ivan, he opened it, and placed a small box into his sister's hands.  
Curious, she opened the box and then let out a cry of delight again. Just before Nikolai was born, and shortly after she'd gotten married the first time round, she and Nivalona had gone to Austria for a holiday.  
Whilst there, she had had a precious necklace, an amethyst locket with a picture of her mother, stolen. Now, somehow, her brothers had tracked it down and had given back to her.  
PAGE BREAK  
There were stories exchanged about Irina and Nivalona, some had them howling with laughter, others had them making slashing movements across their throats.  
After the stories were over, dinner was served. It consisted of either caviar or a delicious steak, smothered in garlic butter, and mashed potato.  
Sapphire, having never tried caviar before, but not wishing to waste it either, went for the steak instead. Katja also opted for the steak, as well. Nikolai, Anna, and Nataliya, on the other hand, went for the caviar, as did Irina and Nivalona.  
"This steak is utterly gorgeous, Irina. Good work on your choice of caterers."  
"Oh, Spaciba Sapphire, and you're absolutely welcome."  
They talked for a bit longer about Christmas and what their plans were for the following year.  
"I'll be doing EFES, of course," Katja said, and everybody, Sapphire included, looked baffled.  
"What's EFES?" Anna asked.  
"English For Exchange Students," Katja explained, causing Sapphire to look slightly confused. Kat raised an eyebrow, and asked, "What didn't you understand?"  
"Well, your English is good for someone who doesn't speak it as their first language. Heck, you write well in English."  
Katja smiled, and said, "While that is true, I do want to learn it until I can speak it fluently."  
"Fair enough, I know you can do it," Sapphire said smiling, as the wedding cake was brought out.  
"Hehe, that reminds me of a joke," Sapphire said and was emplored by the others to tell it.  
"I attended such an emotional wedding once that even the cake was in tiers." She said, and everybody chuckled. It was a good joke, they thought, as Irina and Nivalona stood up and had several photos taken as they stabbed the knife into the first tier.  
There were four tiers in all: a chocolate, white chocolate, vanilla, and red velvet. There was also ice cream and cream to go with it.  
PAGE BREAK  
After another hour of mingling and socialising, the bride and her father were ready to do their dance. Sapphire recognised it as "Once Upon A December" from Anastasia. It was in Russian, which had to be one of the most lovely versions of that song she had ever heard.  
She heard someone sniff behind her and turned to see Nataliya standing behind her, tears coming down her face.  
"I've always liked that song, even if I wasn't a child when "Anastasia" came out."  
When their dance was over, and the clock struck nine, everybody knew that there were three hours left of the year. Without knowing why, they all cheered, and for the next two hours and fifty-nine minutes, they dance away to a number of songs, which included YMCA, Don't Stop Me Now, We Will Rock You, Happy, Summer of '69, Grease Lightning, Summer Nights, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Time Warp, Moves Like Jagger, Let's Get It Started, Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia, Party Rock Anthem, Night Fever, and Pour Some Sugar on Me.  
When they'd stopped dancing, they all could see that there were but ten seconds left.  
"TEN!"  
"NINE!"  
"EIGHT!"  
"SEVEN!"  
"SIX!"  
"FIVE!"  
"FOUR!"  
"THREE!"  
"TWO!"  
"ONE!"  
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" They all choroused delightedly, before they all joined together in singing "Auld Lang Syne."  
PAGE BREAK  
After singing that song, everybody was feeling rather knackered to do anything but crawl into a bed and sleep.  
Irina had organised for her family and bridesmaids to stay at a nice hotel not too far away.  
In the morning, Sapphire and Katja, waking up first, saw that the wall in their bedroom was swirling. They left a short note to Irina, thanking her for her kind invite, and to explain that they had gone home.  
With that, they left that world behind for some time to come, not sure when they'd be back.  
Once back in their world, Katja watched as the wall stopped swirling around, and said, "I thoroughly enjoyed both times we went there."  
Sapphire nodded in agreement, just as her mother walked in. "You two have been quiet," she remarked, and the two girls smiled at her.  
"It's not a bad thing, mum." Sapphire said cheerfully, accepting the pile of washing in her mother's arms.  
"Yes, well, I hope you two are ready to dance the night away till midnight." She said, and they were.  
PAGE BREAK  
It wasn't long, however, before there was but a minute and a half to go till their new year.  
"It's been a nice year," Sapphire said smiling thoughtfully.  
"I quite agree, and Christmas certainly was special." Katja said.  
"Are you ready to chant?" Kat's mum asked, and once again, they counted back from ten, and bellowed out for the second time, "HAPPY NEW YEAR!"  
 **AN: So, after seven months, this story has come to an end. Thanks to those of you who followed, reviewed, and favourited it. Well, it's time to lay old ghosts to rest as they say, and enjoy it for all time, completed.**


End file.
